Loving You Through Time
by saphira54325
Summary: A FrUk oneshot I wrote for a fic trade. Alice and Marianne find themselves attracted to each other even though they've just met!


Just a little something I wrote for a fic trade on tumblr a while ago, thought I'd post it for anyone who wanted to see it.

~X~

In the remote little village where Alice lived, the Hundred Year's War was a distant event, something that could not be happening for all it affected them. The only real effect it caused was brewing more hatred and animosity between the two kingdoms. But even this hatred was muted, as she had decided years ago to simply ignore the event.

"Hate never gets people anywhere except six feet under," her father would always say. It was his motto. And after he passed away, it became Alice's.

The blond teen tied off her complicated braid with a small piece of spare fabric and admired it in the tiny pond outside her home. Having grown her hair since early childhood, she had a lot to work with and years of experience lent to better and prettier styles.

Alice picked up her woven basket and stood, taking one last look at the water before turning and walking down the dirt road. Her family, with their chosen occupation of farming, lived outside the village and only went into town once in a great while to sell their produce.

Today was one of those days. Her brothers had gotten up early and packed up their harvest and her sisters and mother had head out already to set up.

She had stayed behind, telling them she wanted to wash up before leaving. Truthfully, Alice didn't want to go at all, and was debating going back inside and staying there. Her brothers, especially Alistair, always got on her nerves and her mother tried to sell her off to every boy who came their way.

Alice made it perfectly clear to them, with a single glare, that they should steer clear of her. She feared the day when that look, that death glare wouldn't deter their lust.

The English teen stood at the crossroads, gazing at her house with longing, but something brought her towards the village. She could soon see the bustle of people running from stall to stall collecting the best items and produce before it was gone.

She took a deep breath and stepped into the village limits, intending to head straight for her family's stall while ignoring everyone else, until a force powered by something she didn't understand pulled her attention towards a young woman standing in front of the flower sellers stall.

Before anything, the girl's eyes were the first thing she noticed. Bright blue, brighter than the sky and full of life and energy. Her hair was tied up neatly in a small bun on top of her head and her face was regal, like one of a princess.

Without realizing what she was doing, her feet started carrying her towards the girl, as if someone had tied a rope around her waist and was pulling, hard.

The girl was unaware of her approach until Alice reached her and tapped her on the shoulder.

Those attention catching, piercing blue eyes turned and regarded her with surprise. A bouquet of roses remained unbought in her hand, and suddenly Alice's mind disconnected from her mouth.

"Um... I, uh... Hello! I'm... Alice... I just saw you and... What's... your name?"

The girl blinked, just staring at the blonde. Immediately curing herself for approaching someone with no set goal or even an idea of what to say, she turned and started back towards her family stall. Alice's face was burning red hot.

Until she was stopped by a hand on her arm and a sweet voice who's words sounded a bit strange.

"Don't walk away, please! I apologize, you just startled me." Alice turned back around to a brilliant smile and a fragrant rose under her nose. "My name is Marianne. It's nice to meet you, Alice."

Alice took the flower in her hand and felt her heart speed up. She stared at it and felt the tug, the feeling that had drawn her to this beautiful brunette, grow stronger. A pull in her gut, an ache in her heart, her entire being felt like nothing more than closing the distance between them, kissing her soft lips, exploring her body with a light touch, staring endlessly into those gorgeous blue eyes-

She dug her nails into her palms to stop that line of thoughts and lifted her head to speak. "Thank you..."

Her gratitude went unheard as the girl - Marianne - had disappeared. Gone with only a single rose in her wake. Instinctively, she brought it a bit closer to herself.

"Oi, you useless little girl, Mother's been waiting forever for you to show up! Stop staring into space and come sit pretty!" A strong, calloused hand grabbed her forearm and started dragging her backwards.

"I'm little now? Let go of me you brute!" Alice snipped back, ripping her arm out of his grip and stalking past her brother. The redhead narrowed his eyes, glaring at his sharp tongued sister.

"Yah, little and useless. Daimhin is bad enough, but you two together drive business away 'cause you don't know your place." He snapped at her.

"Then I guess I'll leave the family, if I'm such a burden." She quipped as she approached the rest of her family who were finishing setup.

She heard a short shout and suddenly a tiny figure attached to her legs, one that was shaking and nothing but messy blonde hair.

"Don't be a meanie, Alistair! Don't make Sister leave!" The young girl looked up at Alice with pleading blue eyes. "You're not really gonna leave, right...?"

' _Nothing like Marianne's...'_ the thought flashed through her mind as she smoothed her sister's hair. ' _Wait, what?'_

"No, Penn, I would never leave you alone. Not with these dogs, anyways." She pointed of her shoulder at Alistair and the others further away, earning a giggle.

"Good! I was worried you were gonna leave." Penny blinked when she saw the red rose in her big sister's hand. "Who's that from?"

"Oh, just... someone I met... in front of the flower stall..." Alice's face and ears started turning pink, and a knowing smirk spread on her younger sister's face.

"Alice has a crush! Alice has a crush!~" She sang at the top of her lungs until Alice clapped her hand on her mouth.

"Shut up, you little twerp!"

Penny, still grinning, wet her tongue and touched her sister's hand with it, causing her to let go and recoil away.

"Ew, gross Penny!" Alice cried as she wiped her hand against her dress. Penny made a face.

"Yeah, it was." She ducked into the stall as her other redheaded sister exited.

"What's this about ya having a crush on someone? He hot?"

She stiffened. How on earth was she supposed to explain how she felt about a complete stranger? Especially under the unfortunate circumstances. Quick answer - she wouldn't. "No!"

"So he's not hot"

"No!"

Daimhin raised an eyebrow. "Make up your mind, girlie. He hot or not?"

"No, you're wrong, there's nobody at all! Penny's just being silly." Alice tried to explain, her face burning as she hid the rose behind her back. Daimhin looked at her suspiciously, but decided now was not the time or place to grill her. She turned around and Alice brought the rose back into view, sighing as she gently placed the blooming flower next to the stall. She couldn't carry it around and it would be hard to keep a flower for herself in her household. Even if it was a reminder of that gorgeous stranger who, in less that a second, had completely and entirely captured the poor blonde's attention.

The day passed the same as any other did when she was in the village. Horny boys looking over at her with lust, and her tossing her head and brushing them off. Her mother Tania urging them on and Alice eventually storming out, only to be caught and brought back by the joint effort of Daimhin and Alistair.

This usual lasted until the sun was low in the sky and was sending a red glow over everything in sight. Alice was having a mature tantrum and had turned her back to the opening of the stall while her siblings packed up. Only Penny and Alice were free from the chore, but the former had run off with her saved allowance to look around and squander it on something silly.

"Hello?" a voice called. Alice turned to tell them they were packed up and closed, but the words died in her throat when she met eyes with her.

"I, um... hi."

Marianne smiled and leaned on the counter. "You have a way with words, has anyone ever told you that?" she teased.

"Well, sorry! I wasn't expecting to see you here." Marianne grinned.

"I wanted to come when you were alone. That's not easy when you have so many family members. You're like rabbits." Alice shook her head.

"More like dogs." Alice muttered as Marianne giggled.

"You're lucky. My sister is the only sibling I have. Your house must be so much fun."

Alice rolled her eyes. "Oh yes, the boys arguing about who has to do what in the fields and my mother forcing my sister to learn little chores like sewing or weaving while she'd rather be out on the field as well, and my younger sister running in and ruining my needlework? Fun isn't the right word to use there." Marianne shrugged, looking Alice up and down.

"It's made you who you are, hasn't it?" She paused at that, thinking.

"I... suppose it has." Suddenly a voice called from behind the stall.

"Alice dear, we're heading home! Go get your sister and make sure you're back before the sun is gone!" Alice sighed and turned to the door. Retrieval duty wasn't fun when Penny got attached to an item she couldn't have. She exited the stall and started towards the others, joined quickly by Marianne at her side.

"You don't have to come with me." The girl hummed but stayed by her side.

"You don't mind, do you?"

After a moment, Alice shook her head, even though her heart was racing a mile a minute. "I suppose I don't."

Alice and Marianne searched in silence. Well, Alice searched. Marianne didn't know what her sister looked like, though eventually she spotted a mess of dirty blonde hair and tapped Alice on the shoulder. "Is that her?"

She turned and nodded. "Penny! Come on, we're going home!"

Penny groaned and handed the lady behind the stall something before running up to her sister and Marianne. She tilted her head up at the brunette and asked, "Who are you?"

"Bo- Hello, I'm a friend of your sister." Alice nodded. Friend was a bit familiar considering they had just met today, but somehow the term seemed... weak.

"I've never seen you before."

Marianne didn't miss a beat. "I just moved here to this village a little while ago."

Penny looked back and forth between her sister and the brunette. Then she shrugged and turned to Alice, seemingly just accepting Marianne's presence. "Sister, can you make my hair pretty with this?" She held up her fist and dropped something into Alice's hand. She looked down at it and found a beautiful, shiny new blue ribbon that must have cost Penny everything she had.

"Wow, Penn... Sure, I can, but tomorrow, when we're home, alright? We've got to get going, we don't want to be caught outside at night." Penny nodded and smiled, hugging her sister before running off in the direction of their farmhouse. Alice sighed and started off to follow her, but she was stopped by a hand around her arm.

"Marianne?"

"I'm sorry, I just... I was wondering if, perhaps, you would like to see each other again? Perhaps in a more... appropriate setting?" Without even thinking about it, Alice nodded and grinned. Marianne copied the motion.

"Wonderful! I'll... I'll send you a message. We live further out of the village so..."

The English teen nodded in understanding, then turned to leave. "I look forward to it."

Days came and went and nothing arrived to tell Alice that Marianne hadn't forgotten her. She hadn't seemed to be joking when she told Alice she would send a message, but then, she also did say that it might be a while due to her home being far away.

Alice passed the time the way she always did, by sewing and embroidering. Penny loved her sister for the skill and always asked her to sew something new on each piece of worn clothing she owned. Her brothers liked it because they couldn't seem to go a single day without ripping one piece or another, and having this many children meant their mother couldn't afford to buy new clothes. Sometimes she had to work late into the night in order to patch up millions of rips and holes so they wouldn't work naked the next day.

And that was what she was doing as Tania passed her to go out to the village, leaving to buy some essentials their family couldn't make themselves. She only got a few steps out before calling out.

"Who left this here?" She asked as she walked back inside. Alice rolled her eyes and didn't look up.

' _It's probably one of Penny's dolls that she left outside.'_ she thought to herself. Tania obviously thought different, and came around into Alice's view.

"Alice, do you know where this came from?" She asked, confused. Finally looking up, her voice caught in her throat as she saw what it was.

A bright red rose, in full bloom and free of thorns. She mutely shook her head, hoping nothing in her face gave away the truth.

Her mother didn't seem to catch on, as she just scratched her head and went into the kitchen, pouring a little water into a cup and placing the flower there. "Alright, take care of your sister while I'm gone, Alice dear." She hmmed and went back to her needlework.

Her thoughts started racing. ' _Is that Marianne's message? Is she waiting for me now? I can't possibly leave now, they'll all get suspicious. Well, why does that matter? I'm just meeting with a friend... But they might think it's one of those village boys... No, I have to wait until tonight when everyone's asleep. That's the only way. I'm sorry Marianne, I hate to keep you waiting!'_

After that interpreted message was found, Alice's day went by slower than a snail. It seemed like forever until her mother came back, another million years until dinner was ready and everyone was called in from the fields, and another eternity until everyone had settled down and went to sleep. In her joint room with her sisters, she had become the master as pretending to sleep and knowing when the others had drifted off. Penny and Daimhin both splayed out, Daimhin snored and Penny's nose whistled.

After her room was filled with noise from the other two, Alice slipped out from under the covers, where she had jumped in early in order to make the others think she had changed, and smoothed out her dress. It was wrinkled now, but that would be impossible to make out in the dark. She eased the door open and shut it without a sound. Alice took a deep breath, and head downstairs and did the same with the front door.

' _I only hope she didn't expect me during the day...'_ she nervously thought as she sped up her pace towards the village. If she was honest, she had no idea what she was doing and part of her wanted to go back to her home, lay down and wake up tomorrow with this whole last week being a dream. It was crazy, what she was doing. Sneaking out of the house to meet with a person she barely knew? What if she turned out to be crazy and killed her in the middle of the night?

Then another part of her kicked in. A part that said Marianne wouldn't do that. She didn't know why but that fact was concrete. Marianne was... different. And she would care for her.

Alice stopped at the edge of the village, looking around. It was completely deserted, not a soul in sight. All the lights were out in the houses and only a few lanterns were lit. She sighed and deflated. Marianne must've gotten bored and left. Alice never came and she wouldn't want anything to do with her again.

That thought alone sent thorns deep into her heart and pain filled her chest.

"Alice?"

The voice froze Alice for a moment, then she looked all around.

"M-Marianne?"

A figure emerged from the shadows and the only thing Alice could focus on was her eyes. The eyes that had shone so brightly during the day now had a soft glow in the moonlight, almost as if they were emitting light all on their own.

She approached Alice with a smile and before she could say anything, Marianne bent down and, grabbing her shoulders gently, kissed both of her cheeks in quick succession. Alice blinked in surprise but didn't recoil.

Marianne, after the action, bit her lip and turned to the side, seeming to Alice like she was trying to hide a blush. Sensing the tense mood, she spoke to try and get a conversation going.

"I hope... you weren't waiting for me too long..."

Thankful that Alice didn't bring up what she had just done, Marianne shook her head. "N-No, I wasn't. I couldn't leave the house until the sun went down."

"Same with me. My sisters took forever to settle down." They both stood in silence, and Alice's second guesses were coming back and circling until Marianne grabbed her hand and started along the outskirt of the village. "Hey, where are we going?"

"There's a nice place a little ways from my home that I'd like you to see." She said, and Alice took it without question. Even though the night was chilly, Alice felt extreme warmth spread up her arm and through her body as they walked. Somehow, this hand felt perfect to her.

Like they had embraced a million times, and they had molded to each other's grip. Marianne seemed to feel something too, as she gripped even tighter and pulled just a bit closer to Alice.

Their walk brought them past the outskirts of the other side of the village and down a path that didn't seem to be used often. Plants were creeping in on the edges of the road and Alice almost tripped twice, only to be caught and stabilized by Marianne. Their walk was relatively silent, but there was an electricity between the two of them that never disappeared.

They approached a wall of trees and bushes, and Marianne detached from Alice to find the opening, and the blonde felt the cool night air rush back in, like it had been held back by the power between them.

' _That's ridiculous,'_ she thought to herself, but once Marianne beckoned the way in, she felt herself yearning for her touch again.

They both crawled through a tiny break in the bushes and when Alice brought her eyes up from the ground, her breath hitched and she gasped in amazement. Right beside her, Marianne looked at her with a huge smile.

An expansive lake spread in front of them, completely still and reflecting the moonlight so brightly the entire area seemed to be filled with lanterns. All around it was a border of trees and bushes, completely sealing it off and giving it the sense that this was something Mother Nature created especially for them, for their eyes alone. It was untouched by man and she felt a tear run down her face, though she didn't know she was crying.

"It's... beautiful..." she whispered, and the brunette nodded.

This became their hideaway. A place where they could come and stay without interruptions, a place where they both felt safe, a place where their feelings were nurtured and grown.

For the next few weeks, it became a routine. Alice would get up early in the morning to check for a rose on their doorstep, then settle down for her needlework after placing the flower in the pond outside, not wanting to throw it away but not daring to bring it inside. Then that night, after her sisters fell asleep and all was quiet, she would escape from her warm blanket and covers and meet Marianne at the grove.

Alice felt a little silent pride that she kept her relations a secret, even though her family shouldn't have cared that she had made a friend.

Of course, that's how they would see it. To Alice, Marianne was something special. Someone that would never come along again. Someone who she couldn't lose, because she was part of her.

This night was different than any of their other meetings. From the time Alice laid eyes on Marianne, her face was grave. Immediately her thoughts started racing through all the possible scenarios that would give her this expression. A death in the family, perhaps? Something happened with her business?

"Hello Alice. Listen... I... have something to tell you." Her words were rushed, like she didn't want to say them but she forced herself to. Alice cautiously approached her and sat down beside her, looking her in the eyes.

"What is it, love?" Alice asked, and the brunette cringed slightly. She reached up and grabbed at a few pieces of hair, twirling it with her fingers nervously.

"I just... before I let this go further, and hurt both of us... I just need to tell you that... oh god, you're going to hate me..." She bit her lip, then took a deep breath and spit it out.

"I'm not from here. I'm from France." Alice recoiled slightly from surprise. Marianne put her head down, obviously expecting Alice to retaliate somehow. Instead, a small smile worked its way onto her face, before a giggle escaped her lips.

Marianne looked up in shock, tears starting to fill her eyes. This wasn't a normal reaction, but maybe this was just her way of getting mad. She closed her eyes and waited.

Alice, noticing the other teen's actions, leaned forward and, ignoring the cringe away from her, planted a quick kiss on her cheek. Immediately Marianne's head flew up and Alice started laughing harder.

"You think... that that's going to make me hate you? Marianne, you're going to have to try a lot harder than that!" She started laughing harder, her words punctuated by breaths for air. The French teen's mouth was hanging open.

"B-But, we're enemies!"

Alice wiped a tear from her eye and smiled widely, calming herself down. "No, we aren't. England and France may be at war, but we're just two teens in a faraway village who don't care about that. Do you _want_ me to hate you?"

"N-No, but-"

The blonde smiled and leaned in closer. "Good, because at this point, I don't think that's possible." With that, she kissed Marianne softly on the lips.

She didn't react right away, so after a few seconds Alice pulled away. Their eyes met, blue and green, and a spark flew between them. Without words, Marianne and Alice closed the distance and this time, they didn't break apart until they were both gasping for air.

At the entrance to the hidden grove, watching, were a pair of emerald green eyes very similar to Alice's. They waited and watched the scene unfold in front of them before whipping around and running away, red hair flying behind them.

"So, Marianne, do you remember anything from France?" They were laying next to each other now, arms around one another. The brunette shook her head.

"Not really. We came here when I was about three. My sister was born here in England, so neither of us know what our homeland is like. We do know French, though."

Alice raised an eyebrow, an idea forming in her mind. "Do you think you could teach me some?"

She blinked. "I suppose?" Alice smiled.

"Ok, how do you say 'mother?'"

"' _La_ _mère.'_ "

"Sister?"

"' _La_ _sœur.'_ "

"Ok, how about... wife?"

Marianne's head turned slightly, but she just said, "' _La épouse.'_ " Then the French teen rolled over and was face to face with Alice. With a smile, she pressed another kiss to her lips and then whispered, "and before you ask, ' _je t'aime'_ means 'I love you.'"

They didn't dare stay longer than that. Alice knew that her brothers were always noisy enough when they woke up to wake Penny, and if she saw that Alice's bed was empty, they wouldn't be able to see each other again. With a heavy heart they parted ways, and Alice rushed to get home before anyone woke up.

She thought she had done it too, as she eased the front door shut without a sound and took a relieved breath. Then a voice behind her spoiled everything.

"You're up rather early, don't ya think?" Daimhin sat at the kitchen table, looking at Alice with innocence but her voice giving away everything. The blonde bit her lip and tried to lie.

"I just couldn't sleep. I stepped out for some fresh air." Her sister stood then, approaching Alice with fury burning in her eyes.

"Don't lie to me! I saw you with that girl. I saw and heard everything. What the hell are you thinking!? Not only are you risking getting caught by someone who won't be as kindhearted as me, but you're risking it with a French girl at that?!"

"You can't tell anyone, Daimhin! She'll get in so much trouble!" The redhead's eyes widened.

"She'll get in trouble? _She'll get in trouble!_ Alice, you're playing with fire and I swear, if you give me even the tiniest reason I will tell _everyone_ in the village what you're doing, and everything I heard about that tramp. Now go be a good girl, sit in your room, and don't ever see her again!" By now tears were streaming down Alice's face and Daimhin's had turned red from yelling. Her voice wasn't loud enough to wake anyone but as Alice ran upstairs into their room, it echoed and drowned out everything else.

She couldn't see Marianne. Daimhin saw to that. Every day she woke up even earlier than Alice and threw away any roses that sat on their doorstep, and every night she would stay awake until she heard Alice's quiet breathing join Penny's whistles.

She became more subdued, only speaking when spoken to and never looking anyone in the eyes. Her hands were always busy with a needle and it got to a point where she ran out of projects because she had been working so hard. At that point she just took a few steps out of the house and sat on the edge of the shallow pond, staring at her reflection without seeing anything.

Daimhin watched her deteriorate. Even when they would go into the village and sit in the stall, Alice just kept her eyes down and listened quietly as her mother tried to get her a husband, completely oblivious to Alice's condition. The hard hearted redhead couldn't help but feel like she had made a terrible mistake, but at the same time she wouldn't have her sister running around with the enemy.

One night, Alice got up from bed late after Penny had drifted off and Daimhin had started pretending to sleep. She was quiet, but after she left the room Daimhin got up from her bed and headed down the hall to follow her.

All that ended up happening was Alice getting something to eat, then heading back up into their room and going to sleep.

She continued this habit every few nights, and it got to a point where Daimhin didn't bother getting out of her bed to follow her sister, as she returned in less than a half an hour and slept the rest of the night.

One night, after an especially long and exhausting day, Daimhin found herself unable to keep her eyes open, especially when the blankets were so warm and all was still in their room. So when she heard Alice get up from her bed once again, she tried to just stay awake long enough to see her return.

A few minutes later, she was snoring loudly and Alice, who was camping outside their door, decided that tonight was the night.

She would leave her family and find Marianne.

These past weeks had been absolute torture for her. Not being able to hear her sweet voice or gaze into those piercing blue eyes or share sweet kisses under the moonlight had driven her mad. She knew that Marianne very well could have moved on. After all, who said she felt as strongly as Alice did?

But she had to try. If she was rejected, it would break her heart, but she would at least have closure.

With a heavy heart, she whispered, "I'm sorry Penny... You only have Mother now..." and left the house with her prepacked bag she had been stocking with essentials.

Halfway to the village, her mind started to debate whether this was a good idea after all. Marianne and Alice were both young, and Alice wanted to run off? Marianne loved her sister, why would she agree to this crazy plan of Alice's?

"Marianne?" She called as she reached the edge of the village. No answer. Without delay she took off for their hidden grove, hoping beyond hope that Marianne would be there.

When she first pushed her way through the brambles the clearing appeared to be empty. Not even the moon wanted to keep Alice company. Tears pricking her eyes that she would refuse to let fall, she called one last time, "Marianne?"

A surprised gasp was heard, followed by footsteps and a figure running towards her from the darkness.

"Alice! Alice, is that you! Oh, I thought I'd never see you again! I was so worried that you had changed your mind about me!" Arms circled around her waist and Alice eagerly buried herself in her love's arms.

"No, my mind hasn't changed. It's my sister that found out, and she threatened to tell my mother if I kept sneaking out to see you. But I can't stay away any longer." Her heart was racing as she prepared herself.

"Marianne, I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I don't know if you feel the same, but if you do... Let's leave here, and start a new life. Away from judging eyes." The French teen bit her lip, not as surprised as Alice thought she would be. It seemed she had had the same idea before.

"I would love nothing more, but my sister... No, it's time she grew up on her own. She can take care of herself." Marianne met eyes with Alice and smiled widely. "Oh, I love you so much!"

" _Je t'aime_ , Marianne." The brunette giggled.

" _Je t'aime_ , Alice."


End file.
